All posts tagged ‘Geekdad Sports’

Butler edged Fairport, 5-4, in the first GeekDad Sports Fantasy Baseball World Series

While the rest of the country was focused on this past weekend of regular-season NFL games, a few of our geeks were more interested in what was happening on baseball diamonds. The Butler Bounty Hunters took the full week to shake the Fairport Lally Gaggers, but the team concluded their season with a 5-4 victory to win the first GeekDad Sports fantasy baseball World Series. A homerun by Jacoby Ellsbury — who was almost drafted by Fairport in April — and a stolen base by Alex Gordon reversed the fortune of Butler to take the inaugural title.

“This might be the most stressful week of fantasy sports I have ever experienced,” wrote Lally Gagger co-owner Michael Lally. The veteran fantasy owner had more appreciation for the close game than his next-generation partner. Eleven-year-old Erin’s reaction to the competitive title game: “Oh, that’s nice.”

One of the primary motivations for establishing a community fantasy league was to help introduce GeekKids to baseball. In the GDS, fantasy baseball was set up with 16 teams playing against each other in head-to-head, week-long games. There were nine “innings” of statistics used by twelve starters off of a 20-man roster, with real-life production counting toward the fantasy outcomes. We also intend for the GDS to become a “keeper league,” allowing young players to be developed by owners over several seasons. These are proven mechanisms for prolonging engagement with a franchise. Even after championship hopes are dashed, there is always a reason to pay attention. Continue Reading “Keeping Next Generation Fantasy Sports Owners Engaged” »

Staeker Stars

Star Wars Conference / Chewbacca Division

"We were at the mall and our dad told us about the fantasy baseball," explains one of the younger franchise owners. "Then, my sister shouted out, 'Staerker Stars!' Everybody loved it. That’s our team name." The Staerker ownership team developed their logo by committee, passing sketches around a circle and iterating a few times.

The Stars will be led on offense by Derek Jeter and Adam LaRoche on offense, and pitchers James Shields and Kevin Correia from the mound. "I was told by my young teammates to get Derek Jeter," says John Staerker, "so I got him."

Owners: Staerker family (Glenmont, NY)

Short Pump Pancake Breakfasts

Star Wars Conference / Chewbacca Division

The franchise earned its name by combining the local area of town in which the owners live and their food of choice for baseball discussions. "Most of the conversations I've had with the kids about this has been over their standard pancake breakfast," recalls elder owner Matt Davidson.

The Breakfasts tried to avoid taking any hated Yankees players, but wound up with starting pitcher Phil Hughes. Short Pump will enter the season with one of the top veterans and top rookie prospects in the game. "Adrian Gonzalez is a beast," says Davidson. "Mike Trout could be ROY (Rookie of the Year)."

Owners: Davidson family (Richmond, VA)

Greenwood Aglets

Star Wars Conference / Chewbacca Division

The inspiration for the team name comes from a favorite Phineas and Ferb episode. "Now, we even have a theme song," say the owners.

The Aglets were tempted to acquire pitching phenom Yu Darvis, but opted for closer Craig Kimbrel instead. On offense, Greenwood is led by Alex Rodriguez and Shane Victorino.

"I may have created a monster," co-owner Chip Reese said of his partner, who was responsible for evaluating the statistics of draft prospects. "It's so much easier today than compiling them by hand from the box scores in the newspaper like the good old days."

Owners: Reese family (Greenwood, DE)

Fairport Lally Gaggers

Star Wars Conference / Chewbacca Division

Mike Lally's first suggestion for a team name was voted down by his partners, so the fantasy executives opted for their current moniker, inspired by a scene in Bull Durham. "When you say 'Lally Gaggers,'" says Lally, "please do so in the voice of Robert Wuhl."

Team Lally likes the combination of speed and power on the roster, which includes Starlin Castro, Justin Upton and Carlos Gonzalez. The scouts were pushing for outfielder Jacoby Ellsbury. "Taking into account that it appears that our Red Sox will not win another game this season," explains Lally, "we figured Jacoby has zero incentive to come back [from the disabled list] any time soon."

Owners: Lally family (Fairport, NY)

Hillsborough Bombers

Star Wars Conference / Chewbacca Division

As a kid, Mike Idenden played baseball, his favorite sport. Now a father, his sons are enjoying the game as well. The youngest Idenden is in his second year, playing for his beloved Yankees.

Hitting was a priority for the Bombers, who quickly targeted Yankee slugger Curtis Granderson in the draft. Hillsborough also has outfielder Jason Kubel and first basemen Justin Morneau. From the mound, hurlers CC Sabathia, Wandy Rodriguez, and Rafael Betancourt anchor the pitching staff.

Owners: Idenden family (Hillsborough, NJ)

Maryland Ninjas

Star Wars Conference / R2D2 Division

When asked to chose a mascot, Jack never hesitated. With some Japanese lineage in his family history, the young owner was fascinated with ninjas, ever since falling in love with a Woot! shirt and Lego's NINJAGO sets. "The TV series pushed him over the edge," recalls his father, Luke. "DVRing the show wasn't enough. He hunted down Korean-language versions online and knew the dramatic conclusion before any of his friends at school."

The Maryland Ninjas drafted "hometown, homegrown" shortstop Ian Desmond on their team. Their pitching staff is led by Felix Hernandez and Cory Luebke, and the lineup features injured outfielder Chris Young, second baseman Ian Kisler and catcher Ramon Hernandez.

Owners: Rose family (Washington, DC)

Maryland Blue Crabs

Star Wars Conference / R2D2 Division

The Blue Crabs are a famous symbol of the Chesapeake Bay. "My son already had a drawing at the ready," says Chuck Crossett.

Blue Crab sluggers Corey Hart, Matt Joyce and Luke Scott are off to strong starts in 2012. This Maryland franchise is hoping local hero Stephen Strasburg stays healthy and that teammates Mark Buehrle and Jonathan Papelbon keep up their own good starts from the pitching mound.

Owners: Crossett family (Eldersburg, MD)

Battin' Rouge King Cake Babies

Star Wars Conference / R2D2 Division

King cakes are a common tradition in New Orleans during Mardi Gras. Inside each cake is a small plastic baby, a hidden treat that brings good luck and an obligation to buy the next king cake. "Thomas drew a baseball and cut it out," the elder Thomas Watson recalls, "and I helped him take a picture of it over some Mardi Gras beads."

Thomas Watson's Michigan-born son liked drafting a squad with a Detroit player on it (Miguel Cabrera). "He also liked that there's a Royals player (Mike Moustakas)," says Watson. "My son and I have been to more Royals games than any other Major League team." Other top Babies include David Ortiz, Chase Utley and Lance Lynn.

Owners: Watson family (Metairie, LA)

Thurber-Mingus Thunder Chickens

Star Wars Conference / R2D2 Division

Thurber-Mingus is a small Texas town between Dallas and Amarillo, with a prominent landmark — an old style castle — that can be seen from I20. On one Thanksgiving road trip, Jason Christian entertained his son with a long narrative about the fictional history of the castle. "There was a feud between the people of Thurber and Mingus over the smokestack," recalls Christian, "and the castle was where the people of Mingus build up their army. It involved sharks, ninjas, Han Solo and the like. All the people who lived nearby had to lick the smokestack every month or they turn into turkeys."

The Thunder Chickens — which is southern slang for wild turkeys — have a super tandem at catcher in Mike Napoli and A.J. Pierzynski, as well as slugging third baseman Evan Longoria. The bullpen is filled with quality setup men and potential closers (Alexi Ogando, Octavio Dotel, Aroldis Chaptman and Kenley Jansen).

Owners: Christian family (Frisco, TX)

Deep River Circles

Star Wars Conference / R2D2 Division

The Garmendez family has only lived in Texas a few years, after living in South America during an international assignment. The ownership team is comfortable enough with their current surroundings to honor their neighborhood by making their fantasy baseball team the namesake of their street. "We could all easily agree on our street pride and love for the game," explains Ruddy Garmendez.

The Circles boast one of the best bullpens, led by Mariano Rivera and Brandon League. They will get offensive support from first baseman Edwin Encarnacion, catcher Joe Mauer and outfielder J.D. Martinez.

Owners: Garmendez family (Round Rock, TX)

Indiana Jones

Star Trek Conference / Spock Division

Beating out he Washington Monuments and Chichén Itzá Pizzas, the Indiana Jones pays tribute to the adventuring archaeologist of movie fame. The logo was designed by an 8-year-old, who delegated sketching and inking duties to his 12-year-old brother. "I argued for keeping the team in-state," says Kevin Makice, "but I could have lived with being the Pizzas."

Pitching was the priority for Indiana, who passed on favorite aces Stephen Strasburg and Felix Hernandez to angle for a deeper rotation. As a result, the Jones wind up with a serviceable closer combo [J.J. Putz and Heath Bell] and possibly the best top-three staff in this league [Roy Halladay, Johnny Cueto, and Chad Billingsley]. "I was hoping for two things," say Makice, "Not having to deal with any Mets, and getting a good catcher. Managed both of those things, as well as two blue-chip prospects in Bryce Harper and Anthony Rizzo."

Owners: Makice family (Bloomington, IN)

Fishers Creepers

Star Trek Conference / Spock Division

The team name tips a hat to the owners' hometown in Indiana and the younger Gibbs' growing Minecraft addiction. "We're mean, we're green, and we'll blow up anything you hold dear," explains Chris Gibbs.

Crediting the outfielder with helping Teddy Roosevelt finally win the Presidents Race at Washington Nationals game, the team drafted Jason Werth to lead a roster filled with favorites, including Drew Storen. "James' Little League team this season is the Giants," says the elder Gibbs, "and we get Tim Lincecum and Madison Bumgarner. Plus, he thinks Lincecum has sweet hair."

Owners: Gibbs family (Fishers, IN)

Grand Theft Votto

Star Trek Conference / Spock Division

Although the Honey Nut Ichiro franchise did not follow suite, it is inevitable that a team named for a star baseball player would target that player in the draft. Grand Theft Votto got their man in first baseman Joey Votto.

Team Carpenter added other sluggers to help Votto with the offense. Catcher Buster Posey, third basemen Mark Trumbo and first baseman Garrett Jones will be launching balls out of the park. Grand Theft will send Gavin Floyd and Jered Weaver to the mound this season, with Scott Downs and Brett Myers spelling them in relief.

Owners: Carpenter family (Ripley, OH)

Treetown Ninjas

Star Trek Conference / Spock Division

With a similar backstory as the Maryland Ninjas, Team Rozek cites Lego Ninjago as a source of inspiration for the franchise name. A fan of Uni Watch, a blog dedicated to changes in logo and uniform design, Owen Rozek intends to create home and away versions of the logo. "Our color scheme is derived from the Ann Arbor city flag," says Paul Rozek. "The Ninjas have a traditional black color, so that is included as well."

This Ninja offense may scuffle a bit. Their strength is in the middle infield, with Robinson Cano, Rickie Weeks and Alex Gonzalez. They will be helped with strong top-of-the-rotation pitching in Justin Verlander and Matt Garza.

Owners: Rozek family (Ann Arbor, MI)

Owensboro Sluggers

Star Trek Conference / Spock Division

Thanks to a recent visit to the Louisville Slugger Factory and Museum in nearby Louisville, Kentucky, the name was the first that came to mind for the 8-year-old member of the Henry ownership team. The young designer paid homage to the Louisville logo, adding a background of the Kentucky-Indiana bridge (perhaps a symbolic nod to their Spock Division rivals to the north).

Albert Pujols was the top target for the draft ("Hopefully, he doesn't have issues adjusting to AL pitching this year."), but Team Henry was equally excited about landing catcher Matt Weiters, first baseman Todd Helton, and outfielders Jay Bruce and Josh Willingham. For the pitching categories, the Sluggers are crossing their fingers that Jake Peavy's arm does not fall off. He is joined by Bartolo Colon and Cole Hamels. "Thankfully, no Yankees," says the Cleveland Indians fan.

Owners: Henry family (Owensboro, KY)

Butler Bounty Hunters

Star Trek Conference / McCoy Division

A weird family obsession with Boba Fett led to the choice of franchise name. One child did the artwork while the other served as a model. "The logo features my six-year-old daughter on Halloween last year," explains Nick Krahn. "She is a little bit of a nerd."

Despite drafting a couple unwanted Yankees, the Bounty Hunters will begin 2012 with a pair of quality starting pitchers in Clayton Kershaw and Gio Gonzalez. ("Plus Brad Lidge and his gas can of an arm fit perfectly with the theme of Boba Fett and his flame thrower.") Infielder Troy Tulowitzki and catcher Jesus Montero are strong starters at weak positions, and Jeff Francoeur gives the team a regional star to follow. "I'd like to say this was why we chose this lineup," admits Krahn, "but I am 99% sure its because my kids thought 'Tulowitzki' was fun to say."

New Hot Dogs starting pitcher Philip Humber recently performed an amazing feat in the real-life game, when he pitched the 21st perfect game in MLB history. More often, it will be C.J. Wilson and Matt Cain in the spotlight for the Harmons' team. Cornermen Billy Butler and David Freese lead the offense for the Hot Dogs.

Owners: Harmon family (Naperville, IL)

Minnehahas

Star Trek Conference / McCoy Division

Living a mere mile from Minnehaha Falls from The Song of Hiawatha, the Edwards family is surrounded by the imagery associated with Henry Wadsworth Longfellow's poem. The Minnehahas team logo depicts the water and forest and "an admittedly creepy laughing girl" at its center. "While we're not Native American," says Nathan Edwards, "there is an important legacy of Indian heritage here in the Twin Cities, especially regarding the Sioux and Lakota tribes.
I don't know if that's really 'geeky,' but it's neat."

The team is looking for outfielder Jose Bautista to get on base often, but right now it is his teammate Nick Swisher carrying the club. Hurlers Jonathan Broxton, Zach Grienke, and Vince Worley headline the Minnehaha pitching staff. "We would love to have taken a roster with a Minnesota Twin or two," says Edwards, "but [Joe] Mauer just hasn't been consistent enough the past two seasons."

Owners: Edwards family (Minneapolis, MN)

Honey Nut Ichiros

Star Trek Conference / McCoy Division

"My son has always loved this team name," says senior owner Don Sarver. "Ichiro [Suzuki] used to be his favorite player." That affinity for the Japanese All-Star outfielder was enough to merit a namesake franchise, but not enough to get drafted.

Instead, the team selected outfielder Matt Kemp, arguably the best slugger in the game at the moment. Kemp is joined by first baseman David Wright, Adam Dunn and second baseman Brandon Phillips. Injured starting pitcher Chris Lee will headline a staff that also features Edwin Jackson and Chris Sale.

Owners: Sarver family (Everett, WA)

Awesome City Hardballers

Star Trek Conference / McCoy Division

Beat the the punch on "Ichiros" as a team name by their McCoy Division rivals, Ken Hardy and his offspring instead combined wo family names — Awsumb and Hardy — into something that sounded "fun and competitive."

In shock that Honey Nut Ichiros didn't draft the Japanese outfielder inpiring their name, Awesome City pounced on Ichiro Suzuki to land the regional star. Together with first baseman Prince Fielder,
catcher Yadier Molina, and outfielder Adam Jones, Suzuki should keep the runs flowing for the Hardballers. The bullpen is suspect, with a couple of scuffling players with tenuous holds on their closer roles. The team does have to contend with injuries to outfielder Lance Berkman and pitcher Ryan Dempster.

Owners: Hardy family (Redmond, WA)

Staeker Stars

Star Wars Conference / Chewbacca Division

"We were at the mall and our dad told us about the fantasy baseball," explains one of the younger franchise owners. "Then, my sister shouted out, 'Staerker Stars!' Everybody loved it. That’s our team name." The Staerker ownership team developed their logo by committee, passing sketches around a circle and iterating a few times.

The Stars will be led on offense by Derek Jeter and Adam LaRoche on offense, and pitchers James Shields and Kevin Correia from the mound. "I was told by my young teammates to get Derek Jeter," says John Staerker, "so I got him."

Owners: Staerker family (Glenmont, NY)

Short Pump Pancake Breakfasts

Star Wars Conference / Chewbacca Division

The franchise earned its name by combining the local area of town in which the owners live and their food of choice for baseball discussions. "Most of the conversations I've had with the kids about this has been over their standard pancake breakfast," recalls elder owner Matt Davidson.

The Breakfasts tried to avoid taking any hated Yankees players, but wound up with starting pitcher Phil Hughes. Short Pump will enter the season with one of the top veterans and top rookie prospects in the game. "Adrian Gonzalez is a beast," says Davidson. "Mike Trout could be ROY (Rookie of the Year)."

Owners: Davidson family (Richmond, VA)

Greenwood Aglets

Star Wars Conference / Chewbacca Division

The inspiration for the team name comes from a favorite Phineas and Ferb episode. "Now, we even have a theme song," say the owners.

The Aglets were tempted to acquire pitching phenom Yu Darvis, but opted for closer Craig Kimbrel instead. On offense, Greenwood is led by Alex Rodriguez and Shane Victorino.

"I may have created a monster," co-owner Chip Reese said of his partner, who was responsible for evaluating the statistics of draft prospects. "It's so much easier today than compiling them by hand from the box scores in the newspaper like the good old days."

Owners: Reese family (Greenwood, DE)

Fairport Lally Gaggers

Star Wars Conference / Chewbacca Division

Mike Lally's first suggestion for a team name was voted down by his partners, so the fantasy executives opted for their current moniker, inspired by a scene in Bull Durham. "When you say 'Lally Gaggers,'" says Lally, "please do so in the voice of Robert Wuhl."

Team Lally likes the combination of speed and power on the roster, which includes Starlin Castro, Justin Upton and Carlos Gonzalez. The scouts were pushing for outfielder Jacoby Ellsbury. "Taking into account that it appears that our Red Sox will not win another game this season," explains Lally, "we figured Jacoby has zero incentive to come back [from the disabled list] any time soon."

Owners: Lally family (Fairport, NY)

Hillsborough Bombers

Star Wars Conference / Chewbacca Division

As a kid, Mike Idenden played baseball, his favorite sport. Now a father, his sons are enjoying the game as well. The youngest Idenden is in his second year, playing for his beloved Yankees.

Hitting was a priority for the Bombers, who quickly targeted Yankee slugger Curtis Granderson in the draft. Hillsborough also has outfielder Jason Kubel and first basemen Justin Morneau. From the mound, hurlers CC Sabathia, Wandy Rodriguez, and Rafael Betancourt anchor the pitching staff.

Owners: Idenden family (Hillsborough, NJ)

Maryland Ninjas

Star Wars Conference / R2D2 Division

When asked to chose a mascot, Jack never hesitated. With some Japanese lineage in his family history, the young owner was fascinated with ninjas, ever since falling in love with a Woot! shirt and Lego's NINJAGO sets. "The TV series pushed him over the edge," recalls his father, Luke. "DVRing the show wasn't enough. He hunted down Korean-language versions online and knew the dramatic conclusion before any of his friends at school."

The Maryland Ninjas drafted "hometown, homegrown" shortstop Ian Desmond on their team. Their pitching staff is led by Felix Hernandez and Cory Luebke, and the lineup features injured outfielder Chris Young, second baseman Ian Kisler and catcher Ramon Hernandez.

Owners: Rose family (Washington, DC)

Maryland Blue Crabs

Star Wars Conference / R2D2 Division

The Blue Crabs are a famous symbol of the Chesapeake Bay. "My son already had a drawing at the ready," says Chuck Crossett.

Blue Crab sluggers Corey Hart, Matt Joyce and Luke Scott are off to strong starts in 2012. This Maryland franchise is hoping local hero Stephen Strasburg stays healthy and that teammates Mark Buehrle and Jonathan Papelbon keep up their own good starts from the pitching mound.

Owners: Crossett family (Eldersburg, MD)

Battin' Rouge King Cake Babies

Star Wars Conference / R2D2 Division

King cakes are a common tradition in New Orleans during Mardi Gras. Inside each cake is a small plastic baby, a hidden treat that brings good luck and an obligation to buy the next king cake. "Thomas drew a baseball and cut it out," the elder Thomas Watson recalls, "and I helped him take a picture of it over some Mardi Gras beads."

Thomas Watson's Michigan-born son liked drafting a squad with a Detroit player on it (Miguel Cabrera). "He also liked that there's a Royals player (Mike Moustakas)," says Watson. "My son and I have been to more Royals games than any other Major League team." Other top Babies include David Ortiz, Chase Utley and Lance Lynn.

Owners: Watson family (Metairie, LA)

Thurber-Mingus Thunder Chickens

Star Wars Conference / R2D2 Division

Thurber-Mingus is a small Texas town between Dallas and Amarillo, with a prominent landmark — an old style castle — that can be seen from I20. On one Thanksgiving road trip, Jason Christian entertained his son with a long narrative about the fictional history of the castle. "There was a feud between the people of Thurber and Mingus over the smokestack," recalls Christian, "and the castle was where the people of Mingus build up their army. It involved sharks, ninjas, Han Solo and the like. All the people who lived nearby had to lick the smokestack every month or they turn into turkeys."

The Thunder Chickens — which is southern slang for wild turkeys — have a super tandem at catcher in Mike Napoli and A.J. Pierzynski, as well as slugging third baseman Evan Longoria. The bullpen is filled with quality setup men and potential closers (Alexi Ogando, Octavio Dotel, Aroldis Chaptman and Kenley Jansen).

Owners: Christian family (Frisco, TX)

Deep River Circles

Star Wars Conference / R2D2 Division

The Garmendez family has only lived in Texas a few years, after living in South America during an international assignment. The ownership team is comfortable enough with their current surroundings to honor their neighborhood by making their fantasy baseball team the namesake of their street. "We could all easily agree on our street pride and love for the game," explains Ruddy Garmendez.

The Circles boast one of the best bullpens, led by Mariano Rivera and Brandon League. They will get offensive support from first baseman Edwin Encarnacion, catcher Joe Mauer and outfielder J.D. Martinez.

Owners: Garmendez family (Round Rock, TX)

Indiana Jones

Star Trek Conference / Spock Division

Beating out he Washington Monuments and Chichén Itzá Pizzas, the Indiana Jones pays tribute to the adventuring archaeologist of movie fame. The logo was designed by an 8-year-old, who delegated sketching and inking duties to his 12-year-old brother. "I argued for keeping the team in-state," says Kevin Makice, "but I could have lived with being the Pizzas."

Pitching was the priority for Indiana, who passed on favorite aces Stephen Strasburg and Felix Hernandez to angle for a deeper rotation. As a result, the Jones wind up with a serviceable closer combo [J.J. Putz and Heath Bell] and possibly the best top-three staff in this league [Roy Halladay, Johnny Cueto, and Chad Billingsley]. "I was hoping for two things," say Makice, "Not having to deal with any Mets, and getting a good catcher. Managed both of those things, as well as two blue-chip prospects in Bryce Harper and Anthony Rizzo."

Owners: Makice family (Bloomington, IN)

Fishers Creepers

Star Trek Conference / Spock Division

The team name tips a hat to the owners' hometown in Indiana and the younger Gibbs' growing Minecraft addiction. "We're mean, we're green, and we'll blow up anything you hold dear," explains Chris Gibbs.

Crediting the outfielder with helping Teddy Roosevelt finally win the Presidents Race at Washington Nationals game, the team drafted Jason Werth to lead a roster filled with favorites, including Drew Storen. "James' Little League team this season is the Giants," says the elder Gibbs, "and we get Tim Lincecum and Madison Bumgarner. Plus, he thinks Lincecum has sweet hair."

Owners: Gibbs family (Fishers, IN)

Grand Theft Votto

Star Trek Conference / Spock Division

Although the Honey Nut Ichiro franchise did not follow suite, it is inevitable that a team named for a star baseball player would target that player in the draft. Grand Theft Votto got their man in first baseman Joey Votto.

Team Carpenter added other sluggers to help Votto with the offense. Catcher Buster Posey, third basemen Mark Trumbo and first baseman Garrett Jones will be launching balls out of the park. Grand Theft will send Gavin Floyd and Jered Weaver to the mound this season, with Scott Downs and Brett Myers spelling them in relief.

Owners: Carpenter family (Ripley, OH)

Treetown Ninjas

Star Trek Conference / Spock Division

With a similar backstory as the Maryland Ninjas, Team Rozek cites Lego Ninjago as a source of inspiration for the franchise name. A fan of Uni Watch, a blog dedicated to changes in logo and uniform design, Owen Rozek intends to create home and away versions of the logo. "Our color scheme is derived from the Ann Arbor city flag," says Paul Rozek. "The Ninjas have a traditional black color, so that is included as well."

This Ninja offense may scuffle a bit. Their strength is in the middle infield, with Robinson Cano, Rickie Weeks and Alex Gonzalez. They will be helped with strong top-of-the-rotation pitching in Justin Verlander and Matt Garza.

Owners: Rozek family (Ann Arbor, MI)

Owensboro Sluggers

Star Trek Conference / Spock Division

Thanks to a recent visit to the Louisville Slugger Factory and Museum in nearby Louisville, Kentucky, the name was the first that came to mind for the 8-year-old member of the Henry ownership team. The young designer paid homage to the Louisville logo, adding a background of the Kentucky-Indiana bridge (perhaps a symbolic nod to their Spock Division rivals to the north).

Albert Pujols was the top target for the draft ("Hopefully, he doesn't have issues adjusting to AL pitching this year."), but Team Henry was equally excited about landing catcher Matt Weiters, first baseman Todd Helton, and outfielders Jay Bruce and Josh Willingham. For the pitching categories, the Sluggers are crossing their fingers that Jake Peavy's arm does not fall off. He is joined by Bartolo Colon and Cole Hamels. "Thankfully, no Yankees," says the Cleveland Indians fan.

Owners: Henry family (Owensboro, KY)

Butler Bounty Hunters

Star Trek Conference / McCoy Division

A weird family obsession with Boba Fett led to the choice of franchise name. One child did the artwork while the other served as a model. "The logo features my six-year-old daughter on Halloween last year," explains Nick Krahn. "She is a little bit of a nerd."

Despite drafting a couple unwanted Yankees, the Bounty Hunters will begin 2012 with a pair of quality starting pitchers in Clayton Kershaw and Gio Gonzalez. ("Plus Brad Lidge and his gas can of an arm fit perfectly with the theme of Boba Fett and his flame thrower.") Infielder Troy Tulowitzki and catcher Jesus Montero are strong starters at weak positions, and Jeff Francoeur gives the team a regional star to follow. "I'd like to say this was why we chose this lineup," admits Krahn, "but I am 99% sure its because my kids thought 'Tulowitzki' was fun to say."

New Hot Dogs starting pitcher Philip Humber recently performed an amazing feat in the real-life game, when he pitched the 21st perfect game in MLB history. More often, it will be C.J. Wilson and Matt Cain in the spotlight for the Harmons' team. Cornermen Billy Butler and David Freese lead the offense for the Hot Dogs.

Owners: Harmon family (Naperville, IL)

Minnehahas

Star Trek Conference / McCoy Division

Living a mere mile from Minnehaha Falls from The Song of Hiawatha, the Edwards family is surrounded by the imagery associated with Henry Wadsworth Longfellow's poem. The Minnehahas team logo depicts the water and forest and "an admittedly creepy laughing girl" at its center. "While we're not Native American," says Nathan Edwards, "there is an important legacy of Indian heritage here in the Twin Cities, especially regarding the Sioux and Lakota tribes.
I don't know if that's really 'geeky,' but it's neat."

The team is looking for outfielder Jose Bautista to get on base often, but right now it is his teammate Nick Swisher carrying the club. Hurlers Jonathan Broxton, Zach Grienke, and Vince Worley headline the Minnehaha pitching staff. "We would love to have taken a roster with a Minnesota Twin or two," says Edwards, "but [Joe] Mauer just hasn't been consistent enough the past two seasons."

Owners: Edwards family (Minneapolis, MN)

Honey Nut Ichiros

Star Trek Conference / McCoy Division

"My son has always loved this team name," says senior owner Don Sarver. "Ichiro [Suzuki] used to be his favorite player." That affinity for the Japanese All-Star outfielder was enough to merit a namesake franchise, but not enough to get drafted.

Instead, the team selected outfielder Matt Kemp, arguably the best slugger in the game at the moment. Kemp is joined by first baseman David Wright, Adam Dunn and second baseman Brandon Phillips. Injured starting pitcher Chris Lee will headline a staff that also features Edwin Jackson and Chris Sale.

Owners: Sarver family (Everett, WA)

Awesome City Hardballers

Star Trek Conference / McCoy Division

Beat the the punch on "Ichiros" as a team name by their McCoy Division rivals, Ken Hardy and his offspring instead combined wo family names — Awsumb and Hardy — into something that sounded "fun and competitive."

In shock that Honey Nut Ichiros didn't draft the Japanese outfielder inpiring their name, Awesome City pounced on Ichiro Suzuki to land the regional star. Together with first baseman Prince Fielder,
catcher Yadier Molina, and outfielder Adam Jones, Suzuki should keep the runs flowing for the Hardballers. The bullpen is suspect, with a couple of scuffling players with tenuous holds on their closer roles. The team does have to contend with injuries to outfielder Lance Berkman and pitcher Ryan Dempster.

Owners: Hardy family (Redmond, WA)

Kid-Designed Logos

As a 27-year veteran of fantasy sports, I’ve seen the shift of the game from niche to mainstream. The same sportswriters annoyed in the early 1990s by readers asking for tips on which real players to start in fake games are now writing for organizations that openly facilitate fantasy play for millions of fans. I have also witnessed first-hand how fantasy play strengthens connections with others through a shared engagement with sports.

At the start of April, a call went out to sports-minded GeekDads asking them to join in a new community project. It was an attempt to draw fellow sports geeks out from our crowd of makers and coders to help pass on our love for the game to the next generation. Just a few weeks later, we have twenty families of GeekDad parents and their children ready to sign and trade their way to glory.

Our fantasy baseball league begins its first season today with a slate of ten games. For each team, the hitting and pitching statistics produced by a dozen professional players will accumulate to determine weekly winners in head-to-head play. Every franchise is led by a geeky parent and his geeky kid(s), who are expected to play a central role in managing the week-to-week player decisions.

After some discussion about using the league to honor famous geeks in history, we settled on fictional geeks instead. Our league alignment features two conferences — Star Wars and Star Trek — with divisions named for great companions from the two canons (Chewbacca, R2D2, Spock and McCoy). You can track the progress of the league with occasional updates on the GeekDad blog, or by following the project in the new GeekDad community site

Throughout the season, we will also be using the GeekDad Sports fantasy league as a catalyst for other geeky projects, such as collecting trading cards or creating a jersey for our teams. The first assignment was to brainstorm a name and logo for the franchises. The kids in the ownership partnership were responsible for driving name selection and logo design, although some did need some help polishing the graphics or getting things into digital format. Team names in the GDS fantasy baseball league pay tribute to our favorite video games, Internet memes, and movies, as well as our respective home towns.

GeekDad Sports launches a fantasy baseball league for sports geeks in our community (hosted by FanStar)

Our inaugural 2012 GeekDad Sports fantasy baseball season is sponsored by FanStar Sports, helping to give a voice to the sports geeks in our community. Since 1991, FanStar Sports (http://www.fanstar.com) has provided services to thousands of fantasy leagues. The Arizona company provides fantasy league hosting for baseball, football, basketball, hockey and NASCAR. The administration and presentation of each league are highly customizable, able to accommodate a wide range of unique needs.

Statistics are the foundation of a good fantasy league experience (Flickr photo: clarissa~)

Our first GeekDad Sports fantasy baseball league is less than a week away from the first pitch. Twenty ownership teams of parents and kids are in the process of selecting their players, a prerequisite for submitting starting lineups for the 15-week season. Our rules of engagement specify a set of nine core statistics we’ll use to determine weekly game results.

“It really is a hard mathematical problem, how to pick Rotisserie,” says Wayne L. Winston, a professor of Decision Sciences at Indiana University’s Kelley School of Business and the author of Mathletics. Along with his business partner and longtime friend Jeff Sagarin, Winston developed a statistics tracking and rating system (adjusted plus-minus) used by the Dallas Mavericks basketball team.

Winston says his hoops formula isn’t perfect, due to the nature of the game. “If Kobe Bryant steals a ball and gets a dunk, the other guys on the floor get credit for it. Over the course of time, that should average out. The best thing about baseball, though, is that it’s pitcher-hitter, with fielding layered in. That’s why the math of baseball works so much better. It’s an individual sport.”